


Holy Scar

by almygdala



Category: Original Work
Genre: 220 Words, Animal Death, Blood, Cougar - Freeform, Flash Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Original Fiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Short Story, Southern Gothic, gentle horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almygdala/pseuds/almygdala





	Holy Scar

The topic of your scar came up while you were sitting at the bar, chatting with a friendly stranger. It was long and jagged, three poorly healed tears across the skin of your chest that still ached in the rain or the cold. You were in the forest the night your scars were given to you; it was familiar territory, and you were an experienced outdoorsman. Still, nature is nature, and, though you are not religious, if there is one thing to worship, it is the silent power of the dark, old trees of the woods; if there is one thing to fear, it is the way they may consume you.  


Your dog had run off after a coyote. He was a wild, young thing- still a puppy, and you came across him in a tree, dead and bloody. You cried for a while after retrieving his body; he was just a baby. And you heard him before you saw him- a rustle in the underbrush- a cougar of deadly strength. He was your dog’s maker, and would have been yours had you not carried your rifle with you that day. Instead, you were graced with three holy claws; you told the friendly stranger that you saw God for the first time that night, and he had sharp, red teeth. 


End file.
